Recently, apprenticeships have gained a lot of popularity as a way for businesses to ‘bridge the gap’ between the need for highly skilled workers and the scarcity of them in various sectors. By offering apprenticeships, employers can train new people who have the passion and the potential to become skilled workers and expand their organisation.
I, myself have personally experienced the benefits of apprenticeships firsthand. During my Content Creator apprenticeship, I have gained new information and skills which I am able to take into my future career, as well as gaining relationships with my peers.
Why I chose to do an apprenticeship:
I always thought that university wasn’t for me, and I didn’t want to go – and I would be right, I would’ve hated it. But throughout my life, I have always loved learning and keeping my brain active, and I wanted to continue doing this even after college.
College for me, was actually very enjoyable, I learnt a lot and I had a good time there, but it was still a ‘school-based’ environment, and I was an adult. I even tried the whole part-time, job thing until I got to a point of where I wanted to be in life, but I didn’t enjoy it, I wasn’t learning anything new, and it wasn’t even in the sector that I wanted to work in.
I’ve found that I learn best during hands-on activities or tasks so I thought an apprenticeship would be a good idea and it turned out to be probably one of the best ideas I’ve had.
My apprenticeship at a glance:
The level 3 Content Creator apprenticeship that I’m currently doing is the first apprenticeship I’ve ever done, so I don’t really have anything to compare it to. But like all apprenticeships out there, I’m learning on the job, I’m connecting to new people, I have time dedicated to my apprenticeship work, I’m earning a wage plus it’s doing what I actually want to do.
As I said, it’s my first apprenticeship so I’m still learning as I go, but some apprenticeships have assessments throughout, some don’t and they have something called an End Point Assessment (EPA) instead, which is what I have. This basically means a big assessment at the end of my apprenticeship which will prove I’m competent in my whole job (or I’m not).
As far as how I’m finding it goes, I think I’m doing well. The work is being completed, the ideas are flowing, and the knowledge is growing. Not only that, but I’m enjoying it too, and it’s not very often you can ask someone if they enjoy their job and they say ‘yes’.
When first starting my apprenticeship, I was warmly welcomed into the supportive community of Steadfast Training, and that hasn’t changed since. The people are nice, everyone is respectful, everyone treats me as an equal, and there’s always something to do so I’m always kept busy but no two days are ever the same either.
National Apprenticeship Week:
Last year I couldn’t have told you what National Apprenticeship Week was, as I had never even heard of it. But now? National Apprenticeship Week is a week to celebrate apprentices as well as being the perfect opportunity to remind everyone of all the ways that apprenticeships can add value to a sector. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of apprentices all around the world and the positive impact they make to communities and businesses.
I now know firsthand, how much an apprenticeship can help an individual develop new skills and knowledge, much like it has for me. Over the past year, I have gained numerous new skills myself, such as, learning and working within the working environment, and even grown my confidence. All of this is owed to Steadfast and what they have done for me and helped me to achieve, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I have been given and I plan on using my newfound skills and knowledge to the best of my ability, throughout my career.
If anyone else is thinking about doing an apprenticeship, I can highly recommend them and say you won’t regret it. You can find a selection of them on our website or by simply following this link, and maybe you too will make a decision that changes your life for the better.